This is a movie i’d been wanting to see since 98 when my friend had told me something about the story. it won awards at cannes, the oscars and every other prestigious function.
but here....when I was walking out of the theatre...i was wondering..it was good, okay, but how did it manage all that acclaim??
the reviews had said you’ll want to laugh and cry at the same time. I smiled..and I felt a bit sad...and thats about it.
the two halves of the movie are different stories all together. the first half is full of chaplinesque comedy...comedy that I wont rate too high, maybe just a lil notch above average. and thats vital, cause if you dont really love the first part, you’ll not start liking the characters and there end your chances of liking the second part ( where you are supposed to feel sorry and later happy for them) ....and the movie wont really seem to point out the beauty of life. well this could just be a different opinion here...lots of pple might find it really funny. i’m anyway not a big fan of this particular genre of comedy.
then there’s the issue of the holocaust. how many of us in india really care about it?? it hasnt scarred our legacy like it has in europe and america. we’re also not overfed with films about nazi atrocities and the plight of the jews during ww2. luckily, i’d read quite a lot about the holocaust before watching the movie. so I did feel sad when you’re meant to. but that’s not enough merit... overall I felt the movie was not terriffic. a movie like schindler’s list could actually work but not l is b, the horror of the holocaust is a mere presumption and you do not actually see any brutality. leave alone brutality, the nazi officers are not shown to be as strict and terrifying as they were. a realist would often say ’’this could never have happened!’’ ...but that’s intentional, for any more seriousness would make complete crap of this movie. the comedy wont work, and life would no longer remain beautiful.
another con..the dubbing. I would have prefered to watch the movie with subtitles, but destiny willed otherwise. no matter how good the dubbing is, it is never as good as the original product. the expressions are brilliant, but the dubbing doesnt match and thats probably why the silent scenes work much more than the verbal ones.
life is beautiful does have its moments, like those when benigni tries to amuse his son even when he’s being taken away by the nazis, when nicola braschi looks at the gas chamber and the book shop scene.
i think life is beautiful is tailor made for an audience that has already read, or seen a lot about the holocaust.even if you have not, do watch it, i’m sure you wont be bored. you might well be entertained, but I cant promise that you’ll come out full of awe for this italian movie.
every other review here at mouthshut and almost everywhere else has praised the movie to no end...so here’s an odd one out. maybe my experience is also an odd one out. but this is my candid opinion and i’m happy that i’ve expressed my opinion.
would I recommend this to a friend? yes. but the subtitled version.